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JulietDownes
11-28-2013, 11:19 AM
Hi All, I've just started my on-line B2B business and have been incorporating all the do's and don'ts I can find for social marketing. I'm happy to report that I have been having lot's of activity on the various sites but I am totally stumped on how I can convert all the likes, shares, pins and retweets into $$'s. There must be an angle / formula for accomplishing this. Any thoughts on this???

Many Thanks
Juliet

Wozcreative
11-28-2013, 11:41 AM
There is no formula for this. You kind of have to use your head/common sense.

First ask yourself:

• Why did these people join my social network?
• What do they want from me?
• What did I promise them when they were joining?

You didnt post anything about what you do so I went onto your website. I had a difficult time finding where your social networks are linked. I only see ability to share/tweet what you have on your site, but I don't see the social media on it, so I wasn't able to really check what you are currently doing with it.

My other question is.. you are a business coach and consultant, who claims to know the secrets to becoming a magnet to customers, sales and profits. Do you write your own content? You should be taking your own advice and using that as examples on your social media to convince users to buy. You are the best example for your own work/services.

The other thing is that social media isn't really something that you can focus on in terms of getting sales. It's mostly supposed to/works best when you use it to create brand experience. Brand recognition, provide a route for conversation good or bad, evoke emotion and interaction. Provide tips and tricks, statistics, examples etc. Show your expertise. Then you lead them to your website... which unfortunately is very poorly put together in terms of branding, content organization, call to action, choice of photography and believability.

Questions about the integrity of your advice scream at me when I see:
• Your logo/business name using comic sans. Totally inappropriate. You might as well also put ronald mcdonald beside that font.
• Your website has ADVERTISEMENTS! This screams "I couldn't afford to host my own website for a measly $80 a year.
• You have a button to enter my name and email address... but I don't see that form anywhere. Looks like I have to do some work to get you the info (like clicking on that). Poorly constructed way of setting up information.
• Your articles are plastered on one page.. who's going to read that? no one. Needs more organization.
• The site as a whole is pretty painful to read/look at, it's missing a lot of key information and doesn't have anything structured properly.

Have a look at some professional websites that are out there... look at your successful competitors and try harder in terms of your image. Focus on image and not trying to sell or collect followers. You need to build reputation, image and emotional connection to who you are and how you can help people.

As a B2B person myself, I look at business websites all day and design them to showcase their services and products. This one isn't doing you any favours.

JulietDownes
11-28-2013, 12:18 PM
Thanks WozCreative. Thanks so much for your candid comments. I was following the advice from the gurus on deviating from the traditional type of websites to make them less severe. My experience is in business management not websites or social media hence my question. I will definitely look at some of the comments you have made with a view to enhancing the site.

Thanks Again.
Juliet

KristineS
11-29-2013, 01:03 PM
Juliet, be careful about the people who give advice when it comes to social media. Personally, I hate the word "expert" when it is attached to social media, but there are a lot of people out there who like that word. Do some research. See if the people who are making the recommendations are practicing what they preach. Do they have the numbers to back up what they say? Calling yourself a social media expert is as simple as setting up a website, or posting on Facebook or sending a Tweet and saying you're a social media expert.

Some people who do, in my opinion, know what they're doing when it comes to social media include:

Peter Shankman (http://www.shankman.com/)
Scott Stratten (http://www.unmarketing.com/)
John Morgan (http://johnmichaelmorgan.com/)
Mitch Joel (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/)

Check these guys out and study how they do things.

JulietDownes
11-29-2013, 01:12 PM
Thanks KristineS
I will look up the social media experts you suggested for better information.

Thanks Muchly
Juliet :o

Harold Mansfield
11-30-2013, 01:44 PM
I agree with all of the comments so far. And there really isn't a formula...at least not one that is the same for everyone. After it's all said and done and after you read all of the articles, books and blog posts..you'll still come away with no idea of how to convert SM followers to sales. Ultimately you'll have to come up with your own ideas and do what's best for your business.

Be careful not to look at Social Media like advertising. It doesn't work as easy as post a link and people click through to purchase. Understand that very few people purchase anything the first time they see it. That doesn't mean spam your profiles over and over again. It means the SM is more about recognition, branding and building credibility.

JulietDownes
12-02-2013, 09:04 AM
Great, Thanks Harold,
I thought I was missing something.

Juliet

Freelancier
12-02-2013, 09:47 AM
Social media is a marketing tactic. It could be the right tactic or the wrong tactic, but it's only a tactic, a tool in your sales arsenal. It's not a magic bullet for sales.

Think of social media the same as you would an ad on a bus. How do you convert that ad into a sale? Was the bus the right place to put the ad? Who is your market... people riding the bus? If not, then you used the wrong tactic for your market.

Step back and think about your best potential customers. Who are they? Would they use social media and for what? If they do, how can you get them to buy? How would you get them to buy if they were people on a bus? If you're not sure, then step back and think about your customer and what would cause them to buy from you. Then figure out how to be in the exact right place when they make a decision that they need something like what you're offering.

I know for certain that my best consulting customers are unlikely to care about most social media except for their personal lives. They're too busy to spend much time on social media except maybe to keep up with their kids and distant friends. They are much more likely to use a google search to find me, so I make sure that I'm in the top 3 results for the keywords they are most likely to use to find me. And I don't bother at all with social media for my business.

JulietDownes
12-02-2013, 10:26 AM
Thanks Freelancier
Thanks for offering questions that will help bring clarity on the specific tactics I should use for my particular business.

Juliet

patrickprecisione
12-03-2013, 12:25 PM
Social media is a marketing tactic. It could be the right tactic or the wrong tactic, but it's only a tactic, a tool in your sales arsenal. It's not a magic bullet for sales.

Think of social media the same as you would an ad on a bus. How do you convert that ad into a sale? Was the bus the right place to put the ad? Who is your market... people riding the bus? If not, then you used the wrong tactic for your market.

Step back and think about your best potential customers. Who are they? Would they use social media and for what? If they do, how can you get them to buy? How would you get them to buy if they were people on a bus? If you're not sure, then step back and think about your customer and what would cause them to buy from you. Then figure out how to be in the exact right place when they make a decision that they need something like what you're offering.

I know for certain that my best consulting customers are unlikely to care about most social media except for their personal lives. They're too busy to spend much time on social media except maybe to keep up with their kids and distant friends. They are much more likely to use a google search to find me, so I make sure that I'm in the top 3 results for the keywords they are most likely to use to find me. And I don't bother at all with social media for my business.

What's interesting about this is, you may start to ask yourself these questions and realize social media simply is right for your business. One questions I always ask myself, and my clients is, "why do you want to do (fill in marketing tactic)? There answer will give you a better idea of what tactic should be used.

KristineS
12-03-2013, 12:36 PM
The idea that social media may not work for all businesses is one that many business owners have trouble grasping. They think because they have an account they should automatically get sales, especially if they've been reading all the stuff out there about how social media is the silver bullet for business. The problem is that not every business will have a target market that uses social media. If your market isn't there, it really doesn't matter if you are.

TMSFlorida
01-17-2014, 09:50 PM
The idea that social media may not work for all businesses is one that many business owners have trouble grasping. They think because they have an account they should automatically get sales, especially if they've been reading all the stuff out there about how social media is the silver bullet for business. The problem is that not every business will have a target market that uses social media. If your market isn't there, it really doesn't matter if you are.

Good advice Kristine (btw I grew up in Traverse City;) ). Most businesses can find their target market SOMEWHERE in the social media sphere...but its a big sphere. I wouldn't market to Engineers or Brain Surgeons on Facebook, but would do very well on LinkedIn for those same two markets. It's not just about knowing HOW to fish, but WHERE to fish.

KristineS
01-20-2014, 12:59 PM
Good advice Kristine (btw I grew up in Traverse City;) ). Most businesses can find their target market SOMEWHERE in the social media sphere...but its a big sphere. I wouldn't market to Engineers or Brain Surgeons on Facebook, but would do very well on LinkedIn for those same two markets. It's not just about knowing HOW to fish, but WHERE to fish.

Wow, it is a small world. I'm not a native to Traverse City, but it's been a good place to live.

Definitely agree with you that knowing your target market and where they go online is so important. I get frustrated when I hear people say that they tried Facebook or Twitter or whatever, and it just doesn't work for business, and then I'll ask if they researched where their market goes and they tell me no. Knowing where the fish are definitely will help you catch more.

kjpublicrelations
01-27-2014, 10:00 PM
Hi Juliet,

We typically do this in a couple of ways. We try using clear calls to action and targeted messaging - believe it or not, sometimes simply adding a call to action gets people to actually take action! We also use Facebook to host contests and promotions, offer coupon codes, and offer Facebook Offers to help drive traffic and sales.

HinaThorn
04-01-2014, 04:01 AM
Even i do social media activities and was facing the same problem but after reading the thread will go through why actually people liked my post or what i have promised them to provide. @wozcreative Thanks for your suggestion . :cool:

Cassandra
07-01-2014, 04:39 AM
There is no formula for this. You kind of have to use your head/common sense.

First ask yourself:

• Why did these people join my social network?
• What do they want from me?
• What did I promise them when they were joining?

You didnt post anything about what you do so I went onto your website. I had a difficult time finding where your social networks are linked. I only see ability to share/tweet what you have on your site, but I don't see the social media on it, so I wasn't able to really check what you are currently doing with it.

My other question is.. you are a business coach and consultant, who claims to know the secrets to becoming a magnet to customers, sales and profits. Do you write your own content? You should be taking your own advice and using that as examples on your social media to convince users to buy. You are the best example for your own work/services.

The other thing is that social media isn't really something that you can focus on in terms of getting sales. It's mostly supposed to/works best when you use it to create brand experience. Brand recognition, provide a route for conversation good or bad, evoke emotion and interaction. Provide tips and tricks, statistics, examples etc. Show your expertise. Then you lead them to your website... which unfortunately is very poorly put together in terms of branding, content organization, call to action, choice of photography and believability.

Questions about the integrity of your advice scream at me when I see:
• Your logo/business name using comic sans. Totally inappropriate. You might as well also put ronald mcdonald beside that font.
• Your website has ADVERTISEMENTS! This screams "I couldn't afford to host my own website for a measly $80 a year.
• You have a button to enter my name and email address... but I don't see that form anywhere. Looks like I have to do some work to get you the info (like clicking on that). Poorly constructed way of setting up information.
• Your articles are plastered on one page.. who's going to read that? no one. Needs more organization.
• The site as a whole is pretty painful to read/look at, it's missing a lot of key information and doesn't have anything structured properly.

Have a look at some professional websites that are out there... look at your successful competitors and try harder in terms of your image. Focus on image and not trying to sell or collect followers. You need to build reputation, image and emotional connection to who you are and how you can help people.

As a B2B person myself, I look at business websites all day and design them to showcase their services and products. This one isn't doing you any favours.

I have to agree with all of this. Did you pay someone to build your website? If so, fire them. Right now. If you made it yourself, maybe the web design world is better left to the experts until you've sharpened your skills a bit more. But honestly, if I was looking for services in the field you were in, I would close your website and move on to the next result in google. No offense meant, I just want you to understand that your website is killing any traffic you might be getting from social media.

briancarter
07-12-2014, 07:19 PM
If you want social media profits, actual revenue, then plan your strategy that way. You have a couple big options:

1. The route through fans and followers is one option, but more complex and time-consuming. It takes more steps than #2.
2. Use ads to drive people to an ecommerce store, sales page or lead conversion form, e.g. with leadpages, or a wordpress page with an opt-in form from mailchimp or aweber.

With #2, you can find out very quickly what your cost per lead or cost per sale is.

If you do go with #1, then you need to think about your marketing/sales funnel. Here's what happens in order:

1. fans/followers
2. posts/tweets
3. website traffic
4. conversion

In funnel segment #2, the thing most people have freaked out about with Facebook is what % of your fans see your posts. FB admits it's 16%. So that means you've paid for six or seven fans compared to every one that sees your post. And then, does your post have a link in it so people will go to the site? If not, you're making it a lot less likely that they'll get closer to where they can buy from you.

Because of the 16% visibility thing, you have to get likes and shares AND put in a link.

What's funny to me is that no one asks how many of their tweets get seen by their Twitter followers- same issue- not everyone is looking all the time to see your tweets, so you need to tweet a lot. Studies over the years have shown that the most successful twitter accounts tweet 20-25 times a day. To do that, you need something like rignite or hootsuite to schedule your tweets, and again there need to be links in them.

at funnel segment #3, how good is your website at selling? this is the domain of conversion optimization.

The Coach
07-21-2014, 08:30 AM
Dear Juliet,

I would like to help you related to your issue, if it is not to late.
Look at a structured model I use with my customers and please let me know if you are interested to exchange experience with me like from coach to coach.
The simplest and traditional model I use is the GROW model. This of course is customized function of each particular discussion during the sessions.
What is the help you need?
What is happening now related to what you need?
Which is your ideal dream about solving this need?
What can you use from your dream to help yourself?
How much from 1 to 10 is your need solved?
What alternative do you have to solve this need you have.

( Sure, the model is very general, me without knowing your answers, but at least you can personalize it and let me know about the results)

For continuous growing, The Coach

Krys
03-02-2015, 09:05 AM
You have given great insight Kristine, and excellent links to follow!

Personally, I do not believe that some social media platforms that the so called "experts" promote are fit for promoting a business. From my experience, it is wise to pick and choose the social media platforms you want to use to increase your business visibility. Evaluate the following before you choose to get visible on a social media platform:

1. Who is your target market? Identify your target market
2. Know your target market... what are their needs?

Based on your findings look for a social media platform that caters to your target market and be active on it. Signing up on a social media platform is just one step to increasing visibility. Being active on the right social media platform is what will bring you faithful followers that will either send you leads or step into the potential customer category.

veritasvisions
07-31-2015, 05:22 PM
Juliet,

I am an honest person and I think some people may be turned off by that but they wouldnt be good clients anyways. Your website is extremely unprofessional and will not convert. It's one thing to get traffic to your site. It's another thing to turn them into paying clients. You need to not use a template, people sense that right away. One thing i do like is that you have content on the front page which likely gets people more engaged.